Philadelphia’s Electric Factory was buzzing with collective anticipation April 27^th, waiting for the house lights to go down and the second show of Brand New’s five-day “Keystone Tour” to begin. These dates are the first USA shows since the band’s Daisy tour in Fall 2009.

Intervening time has not weathered Brand New: the show was pumped with enthusiasm, impeccable musicianship, and tangible love. Yes, love. Jesse Lacey was both visibly and audibly delighted to be back on stage, jumping up and down and thanking the crowd several times throughout the night. And the fans thrived on the energy, screaming, shouting, jumping—but not crowd surfing, because the venue prohibits it. The 19-song set of fan favorites was a sprinted marathon, each rendition unique and at full power.

Brand New took the stage to “Sowing Season,” always a fitting introduction and featuring all essential Brand New talent. Lacey’s quiet, clear vocals erupted into equally emotional hoarse shouts, backed by that guitar crescendo and punctuating drums. The crowd joined Lacey in a deafening, steady “I am not your friend // I am not your lover // I am not your family.”
Brand New grouped two of their hardest songs back-to-back. It seems only Lacey can achieve more clarity through piercing screams of “Vices” or sped-up accusatory calls in “Gasoline.” The room was nothing but his voice and the flashing white lights, alternating between spotlighting Lacey and blinding the crowd in a glow.

 “Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don’t” was the next highlight of the successful evening, complete with a “hi!,” melodic guitars, punching drums, and Lacey’s vocals swaying from the studio recording. The crowd sang along all too quickly, Lacey slow and deliberate ignoring the mob sound and jumping into higher octaves for end notes of the song’s key punchlines. “The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot” was similarly wrought with emotion and featuring Lacey’s rockstar knees-up hop. While audience energy and dedication adds a communal element to the concert, many must have been too busy shouting along in time with the studio recording to appreciate Lacey’s onstage tweaks.

Brand New’s catalogue is diverse, and the band is able to switch from pop-punky Your Favorite Weapon tracks to the slower, more melodic “The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows.” Even within “Guernica” the transition between quiet introduction and loud shouting chorus is impressively smoother than on the studio cut.

“Seventy Times 7” was the fastest song of the night, uniting the room in collective jabs forward for “getaway,” “guts,” “home,” “windshield,” and the like. If the song is perfect in the studio recording, live Lacey and his fans make it more than a personal anthem.

“Degausser” had Lacey draping a towel over his head, suddenly the removed man most fans know best. He flung the towel around at the end of the song and eventually into the crowd, following through on his Baltimore promises to be a happier frontman.

The night’s closing songs were touchingly quiet, the crowd thankful for “Jesus” and “Soco Amoretto Lime.” The steady drums anchored “Jesus” as Lacey sang, his voice honest and bare.
The crowd’s connection with the band was solidified for the night’s last song. Lacey and the audience sang along for the verses and chorus, and later, he against the crowd’s “You’re just jealous.” “Keep going!” he said and broke out into “You’re stomach’s filled up // but you’re starved for conversation.” After the requisite repetitions, the crowd erupted into screams and applause, as Lacey continued to coo, “You’re just jealous cause //we’re young and in love,” mixing melody and intonation, channeling the blues.

Thus Night 2. Brand New seem to be on a mission to reconnect and revive. No reestablishment necessary—they are better than ever and fueled by a fanbase more ecstatic than ever.
 
Track Listing
Sowing Season
Millstone
Vices
Gasoline
Bought A Bride
I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don’t
I Will Play My Game Beneath The Spin Light
The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot
Guernica
Jude Law And A Semester Abroad
Seventy Times Seven
The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows
Sic Transit Gloria..Glory Fades
Degausser
You Won’t Know
The Archers Bows Have Broken
At The Bottom
Jesus
Soco Amaretto Lime

*This review was composed by Emily Coch